Abdul Hakim Bashar, vice president of the Syrian Coalition, said that “the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) resistance to ISIS onslaught on the town of Kobane is not aimed at defending the town, but at preserving the party’s influence, authority and sources of supplies. The PYD’s rejection of the military help from the Kurdish National Council comes in the context of its defense of its own interests, even if that means the annihilation of Kobane and the displacement of its people.” Bashar points out that the United States’ use of the Kurds as a spearhead in the fight against ISIS, while insisting on ignoring the FSA’s demands for military help, would have a negative effect on the Arab-Kurdish relations and would play into the hands of the Assad regime which has always sought to sow division and discord between the Arabs and the Kurds. Kobane will not be the end, but the beginning of a conflict that will see an increase in the attacks by the extremist groups against the Kurds. Whatever the outcome of this conflict, there will be widespread destruction of the predominantly Kurdish areas and the displacement of almost the entire Kurdish population.” Bashar previously criticized the strategy pursued by the United States in Syria for limiting the military aid to the Kurdish militants while still ignoring the Free Syrian Army though it has been battling ISIS for nearly a year. “The United States is arming and pushing some Syrian Kurdish armed factions in the battle against ISIS while ignoring the calls of the Syrian Arabs for military aid they need to fight ISIS. We are afraid that this policy will backfire, especially that the many of the disenfranchised Arab communities might have no other option but to resort to ISIS,” Bashar said. “We are also afraid that this policy might lead to Kurdish-Arabic conflict which would represent a setback to the Syrian revolution. We reiterate that the most feasible strategy to fight ISIS and shrink its social base is through supplying the Free Syrian Army with arms as the majority of the FSA fighters are Sunni Arabs who are spearheading that battle against ISIS.” (Source: Syrian Coalition)
